Saying Hello!

[singletrackmind]

and thank you Jon for your understanding! sooooooooooo do you have a brother or two..........or three..........or.........heck I can't keep track of how many of us are single anymore! LOL

Don't forget about sisters, too! Being a wide variety of womens here, and all.

[Grog]

Thanks Danariel and Jon for your understanding!

Looking forward to hear more of you (directly in one case, perhaps more indirectly in the other... ) on this great forum!

[CorsairMac]

Don't forget about sisters, too! Being a wide variety of womens here, and all.

rofl - doggone it, once again it was all about me! I really gotta work on this remembering others stuff!

[Danariel]

I did it! I did it! I kicked that hill's BUTT! There's a long, steep, curvy hill that I have to get up one way or another to get back home from any ride off of my street. I was scared of it, just sure I'd never make it, but I was determined to try and see how far I could go, even after having more than 3.5 miles of gently rolling neighborhood ride behind me, and another hill roughly equivalent to half the other one (the gentler half.)

I stopped at the top of the smaller hill, drank a good portion of my Orange/Pineapple/Apple juice, and caught my breath. Then I rode back down the hill, turned right while trying to keep as much momentum as I could without spinning out on the gravel at the base of it, rode the short way to the next right, and up that little incline, then the next right, and I was on it. The big kahuna, my first nemesis hill, the one I was too scared to even try the other day.

Downshifting as necessary, I focused on my pedaling, and I think I do more circles than push-push anyway (I start the "push" at the top of the stroke, and push forward) and on taking the hill in manageable pieces. I first focused on the green minivan parked in that driveway there. Then, I looked up to the top, and realized I was more than halfway, so I focused on that mailbox halfway between me ant the top. Then I was sooooo close, I told myself if I quit now, I'd kick my own ***. I was all the way in granny gear, seated (gear was WAY too low to stand and pedal, I'd have ended up falling) and just powered my way up the steepest portion at like 3.4 mph (I've got a cheapy Schwinn bike comp, cost like $9.83 at Wal-Mart, but it works!) I gave myself a little cheer when I crested the hill, then zoomed down the little hill to our house. As soon as I got into the driveway, I grabbed the cellphone, and called my husband to share my elation.

Wow, what a feeling. I think I'm really going to enjoy this new hobby/form of excercise!

[singletrackmind]

WOOHOO!!! Accomplishment!
You go girl (and guy)!!!

[Danariel]

Thanks singletrack! I've been out of shape for so long, and Sunday Jon and I rode about 2.3 miles away, along a rolling but generally down hill two lane road that actually has a lot of traffic on it, and I chickened out for the return trip. I waited at a gas station for him to go home and get my truck to pick me and my bike up. What I was mostly afraid of was trying to climb that first hill on the return trip, where there's almost no shoulder, and going all wobbly and falling into traffic (40 mph on that stretch, 50 further down.)

So this accomplishment feels really good, and shows me that if I keep trying, eventually I'll buzz right up that hill with no wobblies, and not get run over. :-)

[CorsairMac]

Hills are our friends! We love hills! Hills make us stronger!! yarite! somedays ya'll just gotta go kick that hill right in the teeth and show it You're the boss!!

Goodonya!

[Danariel]

I did it again today, with less momentum to start with, but also with less ride behind me. I'm gonna try to ride that hill every day, until I can go up it on the second front sprocket (like DH did AFTER following me up it in Granny Gear once.)

I'm doing this because I want to be strong, fast, healthy. And also because it's fun!